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MV Agusta reveal new F4 RC

Published:
18 October 2017

New limited-edition flagship F4 RC for 2018

After the recent announcement of the Lewis Hamilton-designed F4 LH44, MV Agusta are battling back with another stunning new bike, following months of financial turbulence. The immediate fruits of this revitalisation programme can be seen in this new limited-edition run of their F4 RC.

The RC (Reparto Corse) is the peak of MV’s technical evolution, and with some genuinely decent racing performances in various classes this year, the factory World Superbike paintjob and graphics don’t feel like a hollow promise. The number 37 is a reference to the number of manufacturer titles won by MV over the course of its long history.

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Just 250 of the new F4 RCs will be built, and the firm are yet to confirm how many pounds the privilege of ownership will cost. The existing RC costs £34,670, while their recently released Lewis Hamilton edition was an even more gut-wrenching £53,900. We’d expect this model to arrive at around the £35k mark. So, what do you get for your money?

A lot of heart

You’d expect a lot of mumbo for your money, and the promised 202.5bhp shouldn’t disappoint. Those horses are all packed into the 998cc Corsa Corta inline four, which boasts a central camchain, and radial valves. The swanky race kit that comes with the bike – in a beautiful wooden packing crate – adds another 9bhp to the party, giving just shy of 212bhp.

Bright sparks

MV have long been criticised for their imperfect fuelling, but MV says they’ve done more work to improve this, while parameters such as throttle sensitivity, engine braking, engine response, maximum torque, and the rev limiter can all be customised by the rider. The RC also uses an Inertial Measurement Unit with three gyroscopes and three accelerometers to help the rider keep all those horses pointing in the right direction. There’s also the EAS 2.0 quickshifter/auto-blipper for seamless shifting up and down the ’box.

Control measures

The chassis appears unchanged for the new RC, and that’s no bad thing. That means a TIG welded CrMo steel tube trellis frame with adjustable swingarm pivot and top-spec non-electronic suspension in the form of Öhlins’ NIX30 fork and an Öhlins TTX 36 shock. Braking power comes from Brembo 320mm discs and M50 Monobloc calipers – all controlled by the latest Bosch 9 Plus Race Mode ABS.

Make is special

The fairings are all carbon-fibre and each of the 250 new bikes will come with the race kit box, containing an SC-Project full titanium single exit exhaust and matching ECU, quick-release fuel cap, carbon fibre heat shields, F4 RC single seat tail cover and lightweight fixings. A customised bike cover and certificate of origin will also confirm that the bike is what it purports to be.